SummaryWireless and mobile communication systems have become an important part of our daily environment. Since the introduction of the GSM-network in the early nineties, different wireless applications such as WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. have been brought into the market. This has become possible due to the high integration of integrated circuits in relatively cheap technologies. Besides the digital signal processing, those wireless applications require complex analog circuits operating at very high frequencies (RF circuits). In the early days these were implemented as discrete components or standalone ICs in expensive technologies such as GaAs, InP and SiGe. Due to the research towards nanometer CMOS technologies, and due to improved RF circuit techniques, RF-CMOS has been introduced since the mid nineties. The intention of this research project is to take the next big leap forward in wireless applications, i.e. the exploration and research, based on the vast RF-CMOS knowledge already existing, towards the Extremely High Frequencies which is above 70 GHz up to 300GHz, with wavelengths close to 1 mm. The research project is a logical evolution of the RF-CMOS research knowledges of the team. For that the &quot;natural evolution&quot; acronym DARWIN (Deep mm-Wave RF CMOS Integrated Circuits (with the M of CMOS inverted (W)) is choosen. Implementing circuit techniques in standard CMOS technologies at those frequencies is again an enormous challenge and will open a lot of new opportunities and applications towards the future due to possibilities in safety monitoring, e.g. collision radar detection for automobiles at 77 GHz, the need for high data-rate telecommunication systems, with capacity of 1-10 Gbps, and imaging for medical and security systems. The goal of the proposed project is to perform the necessary fundamental basic research to be able to implement these 70-300 GHz applications in CMOS technology (45 nm and below).

Wireless and mobile communication systems have become an important part of our daily environment. Since the introduction of the GSM-network in the early nineties, different wireless applications such as WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. have been brought into the market. This has become possible due to the high integration of integrated circuits in relatively cheap technologies. Besides the digital signal processing, those wireless applications require complex analog circuits operating at very high frequencies (RF circuits). In the early days these were implemented as discrete components or standalone ICs in expensive technologies such as GaAs, InP and SiGe. Due to the research towards nanometer CMOS technologies, and due to improved RF circuit techniques, RF-CMOS has been introduced since the mid nineties. The intention of this research project is to take the next big leap forward in wireless applications, i.e. the exploration and research, based on the vast RF-CMOS knowledge already existing, towards the Extremely High Frequencies which is above 70 GHz up to 300GHz, with wavelengths close to 1 mm. The research project is a logical evolution of the RF-CMOS research knowledges of the team. For that the &quot;natural evolution&quot; acronym DARWIN (Deep mm-Wave RF CMOS Integrated Circuits (with the M of CMOS inverted (W)) is choosen. Implementing circuit techniques in standard CMOS technologies at those frequencies is again an enormous challenge and will open a lot of new opportunities and applications towards the future due to possibilities in safety monitoring, e.g. collision radar detection for automobiles at 77 GHz, the need for high data-rate telecommunication systems, with capacity of 1-10 Gbps, and imaging for medical and security systems. The goal of the proposed project is to perform the necessary fundamental basic research to be able to implement these 70-300 GHz applications in CMOS technology (45 nm and below).

Max ERC Funding

2 042 640 €

Duration

Start date: 2009-01-01, End date: 2013-12-31

Project acronymEMIS

ProjectAn Intense Summer Monsoon in a Cool World, Climate and East Asian Monsoon during Interglacials with a special emphasis on the Interglacials 500,000 years ago and before

Researcher (PI)André, Léon Berger

Host Institution (HI)UNIVERSITE CATHOLIQUE DE LOUVAIN

Call DetailsAdvanced Grant (AdG), PE10, ERC-2008-AdG

SummaryAsian monsoon is a spectacular occurrence in the climate system. What make it so powerful are the combination of thermal contrast between the World s largest landmass (Eurasian continent) and ocean basin (the Indo-Pacific Ocean) and the presence of the World s largest ridge, the Tibetan Plateau. Climatologically, monsoon regions are the most convectively active areas and account for the majority of global atmospheric heat and moisture transport. Moreover, the economy, culture and rhythms of life of 60% of humanity are critically influenced by the evolution and variability of the Asian monsoon. The need to better understand the monsoon leads inevitably to the close inspection of its activity during the geological times to provide a long-term perspective from which any future change may be more effectively assessed. Our research proposal aims to understand the seeming paradox of the exceptionally intense East Asian summer monsoon (actually the strongest over the last one million years) which occurred during the relatively cool interglacial (MIS-13), 500,000 years ago. This will be done using first a model of intermediate complexity (LOVECLIM) to achieve a number of sensitivity experiments to the astronomical forcing, the Eurasian and North American ice sheets, the Tibetan Plateau and the Ocean. Ocean-atmosphere coupled general circulation models will then be used to confirm the main processes underlined by LOVECLIM, in particular those related to the wave train topographically induced by the Eurasian ice sheet, to the Tibetan Plateau, to the sea-surface temperature and to their role in reinforcing the East Asian summer monsoon. This monsoon of MIS-13 will be compared with the monsoon which occurred during the other interglacials of the upper Pleistocene and Holocene (about the last 700,000 years). All simulation results will be compared with the available proxy records, in particular-but not exclusively-those coming from the loess-soil sequences in China.

Asian monsoon is a spectacular occurrence in the climate system. What make it so powerful are the combination of thermal contrast between the World s largest landmass (Eurasian continent) and ocean basin (the Indo-Pacific Ocean) and the presence of the World s largest ridge, the Tibetan Plateau. Climatologically, monsoon regions are the most convectively active areas and account for the majority of global atmospheric heat and moisture transport. Moreover, the economy, culture and rhythms of life of 60% of humanity are critically influenced by the evolution and variability of the Asian monsoon. The need to better understand the monsoon leads inevitably to the close inspection of its activity during the geological times to provide a long-term perspective from which any future change may be more effectively assessed. Our research proposal aims to understand the seeming paradox of the exceptionally intense East Asian summer monsoon (actually the strongest over the last one million years) which occurred during the relatively cool interglacial (MIS-13), 500,000 years ago. This will be done using first a model of intermediate complexity (LOVECLIM) to achieve a number of sensitivity experiments to the astronomical forcing, the Eurasian and North American ice sheets, the Tibetan Plateau and the Ocean. Ocean-atmosphere coupled general circulation models will then be used to confirm the main processes underlined by LOVECLIM, in particular those related to the wave train topographically induced by the Eurasian ice sheet, to the Tibetan Plateau, to the sea-surface temperature and to their role in reinforcing the East Asian summer monsoon. This monsoon of MIS-13 will be compared with the monsoon which occurred during the other interglacials of the upper Pleistocene and Holocene (about the last 700,000 years). All simulation results will be compared with the available proxy records, in particular-but not exclusively-those coming from the loess-soil sequences in China.

Max ERC Funding

893 880 €

Duration

Start date: 2008-11-01, End date: 2013-10-31

Project acronymINNOSTOCH

ProjectINNOVATIONS IN STOCHASTIC ANALYSIS AND APPLICATIONS with emphasis on STOCHASTIC CONTROL AND INFORMATION

Researcher (PI)Bernt Karsten Øksendal

Host Institution (HI)UNIVERSITETET I OSLO

Call DetailsAdvanced Grant (AdG), PE1, ERC-2008-AdG

Summary"For almost all kinds of dynamic systems modeling real processes in nature or society, most of the mathematical models we can formulate are - at best - inaccurate, and subject to random fluctuations and other types of ""noise"". Therefore it is important to be able to deal with such noisy models in a mathematically rigorous way. This rigorous theory is stochastic analysis. Theoretical progress in stochastic analysis will lead to new and improved applications in a wide range of fields.
The main purpose of this proposal is to establish a research environment which enhances the creation of new ideas and methods in the research of stochastic analysis and its applications. The emphasis is more on innovation, new models and challenges in the research frontiers, rather than small variations and minor improvements of already established theories and results. We will concentrate on applications in finance and biology, but the theoretical results may as well apply to several other areas.
Utilizing recent results and achievements by PI and a large group of distinguished coworkers, the natural extensions from the present knowledge is to concentrate on the mathematical theory of the interplay between stochastic analysis, stochastic control and information. More precisely, we have ambitions to make fundamental progress in the general theory of stochastic control of random systems and applications in finance and biology, and the explicit relation between the optimal performance and the amount of information available to the controller. Explicit examples of special interest include optimal control under partial or delayed information, and optimal control under inside or advanced information. A success of the present proposal will represent a substantial breakthrough, and in turn bring us a significant step forward in our attempts to understand various aspects of the world better, and it will help us to find optimal, sustainable ways to influence it."

"For almost all kinds of dynamic systems modeling real processes in nature or society, most of the mathematical models we can formulate are - at best - inaccurate, and subject to random fluctuations and other types of ""noise"". Therefore it is important to be able to deal with such noisy models in a mathematically rigorous way. This rigorous theory is stochastic analysis. Theoretical progress in stochastic analysis will lead to new and improved applications in a wide range of fields.
The main purpose of this proposal is to establish a research environment which enhances the creation of new ideas and methods in the research of stochastic analysis and its applications. The emphasis is more on innovation, new models and challenges in the research frontiers, rather than small variations and minor improvements of already established theories and results. We will concentrate on applications in finance and biology, but the theoretical results may as well apply to several other areas.
Utilizing recent results and achievements by PI and a large group of distinguished coworkers, the natural extensions from the present knowledge is to concentrate on the mathematical theory of the interplay between stochastic analysis, stochastic control and information. More precisely, we have ambitions to make fundamental progress in the general theory of stochastic control of random systems and applications in finance and biology, and the explicit relation between the optimal performance and the amount of information available to the controller. Explicit examples of special interest include optimal control under partial or delayed information, and optimal control under inside or advanced information. A success of the present proposal will represent a substantial breakthrough, and in turn bring us a significant step forward in our attempts to understand various aspects of the world better, and it will help us to find optimal, sustainable ways to influence it."

SummaryOur goal is to achieve a physical description of stellar interiors with an order of magnitude better precision in the physical quantities than we have now. We will concentrate on three outstanding critical issues in current stellar structure theory and solve them through a novel approach termed asteroseismology. 1. We will obtain a quantitative estimate of the amount of convective mixing and of the internal rotation profile for a broad range of stellar masses and evolutionary states, with specific emphasis on massive stars and on red giant stars. This will be done using new seismic data assembled by the space missions MOST, CoRoT and Kepler, which have a factor 1000 better precision than the ground-based data we had to rely on so far. 2. We will include, for the first time, the effect of a radiation-driven stellar wind on the theoretical description of stellar oscillations. This opens a new avenu: the seismic calibration of stellar evolution models of the most massive stars from the core-hydrogen burning up to the supernova stage. 3. We will build a new dedicated camera, MAIA, for the Mercator telescope at La Palma (Canary Islands), to investigate the badly understood common envelope phase of close binary stars. There are large unknowns in their evolution, mainly during the red giant phase when the two stellar components may share a common envelope. The recently discovered pulsating subdwarf O and B binaries must have lost their hydrogen envelope during a common envelope phase near the tip of the red giant branch. We will put tight seismic constraints on their outer hydrogen layer and mass and use these two diagnostics to perform a critical evaluation of close binary evolution theory along the giant branch. Our project encompasses engineering, observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, time series analysis and statistical clustering. It will revolutionise stellar evolution theory for a variety of stars and all topics in astrophysics that build on it.

Our goal is to achieve a physical description of stellar interiors with an order of magnitude better precision in the physical quantities than we have now. We will concentrate on three outstanding critical issues in current stellar structure theory and solve them through a novel approach termed asteroseismology. 1. We will obtain a quantitative estimate of the amount of convective mixing and of the internal rotation profile for a broad range of stellar masses and evolutionary states, with specific emphasis on massive stars and on red giant stars. This will be done using new seismic data assembled by the space missions MOST, CoRoT and Kepler, which have a factor 1000 better precision than the ground-based data we had to rely on so far. 2. We will include, for the first time, the effect of a radiation-driven stellar wind on the theoretical description of stellar oscillations. This opens a new avenu: the seismic calibration of stellar evolution models of the most massive stars from the core-hydrogen burning up to the supernova stage. 3. We will build a new dedicated camera, MAIA, for the Mercator telescope at La Palma (Canary Islands), to investigate the badly understood common envelope phase of close binary stars. There are large unknowns in their evolution, mainly during the red giant phase when the two stellar components may share a common envelope. The recently discovered pulsating subdwarf O and B binaries must have lost their hydrogen envelope during a common envelope phase near the tip of the red giant branch. We will put tight seismic constraints on their outer hydrogen layer and mass and use these two diagnostics to perform a critical evaluation of close binary evolution theory along the giant branch. Our project encompasses engineering, observational astronomy, theoretical astrophysics, time series analysis and statistical clustering. It will revolutionise stellar evolution theory for a variety of stars and all topics in astrophysics that build on it.